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Learn about the names, realms and personalities of the Greek gods in ancient mythology. From the Olympian gods to the minor and primordial gods, this page covers a complete list of Greek gods with brief descriptions.
- Uranus
The Titans. When Uranus was mutilated he called his sons...
- Helios
A handsome Titan with flowing hair, driving a golden chariot...
- Cronus
At first, Cronus became a mighty rule. His actions to...
- Ares
Ares is the god of war, one of the Twelve Olympian gods and...
- Thanatos
Rather than being the offspring of gods, he was a broken-off...
- Oneiroi
Lesser Gods or Deimons of Dreams – The Personification of...
- Coeus
Other Interesting Facts About Coeus. Coeus respective Roman...
- Prometheus
Prometheus’ Family. Hesiod’s Theogony states Prometheus was...
- Uranus
- Overview
- Aphrodite
- Athena
- Artemis
- Ares
- Apollo
- Demeter
- Dionysus
- Hades
- Hera
Cruel and fickle, passionate and vindictive, jealous and insecure, petty and insane: the inhabitants of Mount Olympus represent an attempt by the ancient Greeks to explain the chaos of the universe through human nature. Thus, like every deity invented before and since, these gods and goddesses are embodiments of human solipsism. (Of course lightnin...
Aphrodite was the goddess of love, sex, and beauty. Unsurprisingly for a love goddess, she was said to have emerged from the foam generated when the severed testicles of her father, Uranus, were thrown into the sea by his son, the Titan Cronus. (Or is that surprising?) Kind of makes Botticelli’s surreally lovely Birth of Venus—which depicts Aphrodi...
Athena was the goddess of reason, wisdom, and war. She famously sprung fully formed from the forehead of Zeus. A major figure in the Odyssey, in which she instructed Odysseus, she also guided Perseus and Heracles through their trials. The Parthenon was her chief temple in Athens, which is named in her honor. Her Roman equivalent was Minerva.
Artemis was the fleet-footed goddess of the hunt. Often depicted in painting and sculpture with a deer or a hunting dog, she was both huntress and protectress of the living world. Her Roman equivalent was Diana.
Ares was the god of bloodlust. (His half-sister Athena represented the more "noble" aspects of combat and civil conduct during war.) Though his fellow deities weren’t particularly fond of him, the Spartans had no problems, er, donating some prisoners of war to his worship. And sacrificing dogs…yeah, that’s right, Ares liked dead puppies. Jerk. His ...
The twin brother of Artemis, Apollo was among the most important (read: feared) of the gods. Son of Zeus, he disseminated the will of his divine compatriots through various means, notably oracles. The Oracle at Delphi was his mouthpiece; a 2001 study determined that the oracle was likely hallucinating due to ethylene gas rising from the rocks benea...
Demeter, an agricultural goddess, was mother to Persephone, who was abducted by the underworld god Hades to be his bride. While searching for her stolen daughter, she accepted the hospitality of the royal family of Eleusis. The Eleusinian Mysteries, perhaps the most important religious rites in ancient Greece, are attributed to her teachings. Her R...
Dionysus was a son of Zeus born to a mortal mother. When Zeus accidentally killed her, he sewed the young Dionysus into his thigh and, when the young god emerged, passed him to the care of the maenads. The cult of Dionysus revolved around intoxication, sex, and savage ritual sacrifice. He was often symbolized by a bull due to his association with t...
Hades ruled the world of the dead, with which he was sometimes synonymous. The chilly lord of the underworld was among the few Greek gods to come across as dispassionate. He was not the ultimate judge of the souls that wandered his domain nor did he mete out their punishments for sins committed during their mortal lives. He was, however, cunning; h...
The queen goddess of Olympus, Hera was both sister and wife to Zeus. Though she is often depicted as reserved and austere, she was mercilessly vindictive when it came to her husband’s [many] extramarital adventures. Unfortunately for the objects of Zeus’s godly affections, Hera tended to torment the "other women" (and their offspring, including Her...
- Richard Pallardy
- Greek Gods. Many people can name at least some of the major Greek deities, but the list of gods in ancient Greece runs into the thousands. The Greek creation myth begins with the god of love, Eros, who creates the sky and the earth and makes them fall in love.
- Egyptian Gods. Ancient Egyptian gods are recorded on tombs and manuscripts beginning in the Old Kingdom of about 2600 BCE and lasting until the Romans conquered Egypt in 33 BCE.
- Norse Gods. In Norse mythology, the giants came first, and then the Old Gods (the Vanir) who were later supplanted by the New Gods (the Aesir). The Norse myths were written down in fragments until The Prose Edda, compiled in the 13th century, and they include pre-Christian stories of the great deeds of old Scandinavia and the myths of its creation.
- Roman Gods. The Romans sustained a religion that adopted most of the Greek gods for their own with different names and slightly different myths. They also incorporated without too much discrimination the gods of particular interest to a newly conquered group, the better to foster assimilation in their imperialistic ventures.
This is an index of lists of deities of the different religions, cultures and mythologies of the world. List of deities by classification. Lists of deities by cultural sphere. List of fictional deities. List of people who have been considered deities; see also Apotheosis, Imperial cult and Sacred king.
Explore the gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters, and myths of ancient Greece. Learn about the Olympian, Titan, and primordial deities, as well as the creation, Trojan, and underworld stories.
May 27, 2024 · Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks and Classical antiquity. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th–4th century bce.
Theoi Project is a site that offers a comprehensive, free reference guide to the gods, spirits, creatures and heroes of ancient Greek mythology and religion. It includes encyclopedia summaries, classical texts, illustrations, family trees, maps and more.
